Budget 2016 - watch it live here, 12.30pm!

[KateMumsnet]

Chancellor George Osborne will introduce his eighth budget at lunchtime today - he's expected to announce fresh spending cuts of £4bn, as well as a radical shakeup for schools in England, with every school becoming an academy by 2020, effectively ending local authority control. He'll also announce new funds to finance a longer day for secondary schools, with heads able to bid for funds for additional school activities and overtime pay.

Join us here to watch live at 12.30pm - and do let us know what you think of his announcements here on the thread.

Martin Lewis explained GO with his new isa has stolen revenues from future chancellor's.

I can't see our urban comprehensive offering the activity dd does (horses) so it realistically means she won't ride at all from oct to February. It's already difficult enough battling against the dark nights and weather with her finishing at 2.45pm. At present even darkest winter I can have her on and riding for half an hour after school a couple of days a week.

In the summer I don't really want to be setting off at 4pm and not getting in until 6pm either.

Won't most outside school organised activities just start later though if children are in school longer.
The dance schools, rearranging music lessons, the LA organised orchestras choirs and ensembles?
If all dc finish school at the same time, everything else will start later.

EmbroideryQueen My DD is 10 and at middle school in year 5. She will be at that school until year 8 and then move to secondary. We live in a weird village where we still have this system whereas all surrounding areas operate primary/high school where they move in year 7.

At the moment she walks to and from school, about 20 minutes each way. She finishes at 3pm and on Monday evening goes to a Rangers unit that does kayaking at sea and runs lots of trips through the summer months which she loves.

On Tuesdays she comes straight home and goes out with friends from across the road, rides her bike, roller skates, plays with her cat and does homework.

Wednesday she does netball at an after school club.

Thursday she goes from school straight to a local church which runs a club for local children where they have smoothies and cookies. They all get a chance to 'work' there taking money and putting it in the till, tidying tables etc. She loves it and gets to meet kids from other schools. She then comes home and we go straight back out to her swimming lesson.

Friday she goes to a cross country after school club. On Sunday she does Rookies which is an hours swim and an hours poolside learning first aid and life saving.

She is being assessed with ASD. Her routine is very set. This week she is in her school show and it's proving hard because she's missed Rangers, she is missing church on Thursday (although we are cramming in swimming and the driving her straight to school) and she's bloody tired. Her meltdowns over it all are difficult to deal with but she's adamant she will see the shows through.

Once she moves to high school, which will be the Academy her sister goes through, it's an hour on the bus and then a 15 minute walk each way. That school also runs lots of after school clubs and extra tuition (which my teen uses as she's doing A levels) so it's going to be really hard for her to cope with without adding in an extra hour of compulsory lessons or activities.

IMO it's important for these things to be optional. A case in point is my oldest DD is in her final year of A levels. Her year group was the first where further education from 16-18 was compulsory. As a result there are classes where there are pupils who have no interest in being there, are disruptive and just going through the motions because it's compulsory. It's not fair on those who want to be there.

The local comp, round the corner from me has been sending the kids home at 2pm two days a week since September. I've no idea why, but I can't imagine they'll be pleased at having to find another five hours a week...

When my sons were at prep school they stayed until 6pm to do "homework" and sport nearly every day ( age 8 to 11) and went to school on Saturday mornings. It encourages a work ethic.

We get to spend a small amount of time with the DC as it is, I am fuming that this is going to happen, yes private education is longer, however that's a parents choice to send them to a school were longer hours forced! I dont want this for my children!

I want my children to be children, and have outside activities, play with their friends when its light, the whole thing is bloody absurd!

Free choice, more bloody like a nanny state!

My dd longest day is 8.00am until 8pm, this includes lunch, tea and 2 breaks though. She only gets about an hour before bed, but can have a free 2 hour lunch occasionally, sometimes she has to do things during this time though.
This is boarding, so no travel apart from breakfast to class.

August I used to work in one that was 8.20-2.30 with a 30 minutes lunch. Still 20 min form, then 5 x 1hr lessons.

EmbroideryQueen

If schools took over organised after-school groups/clubs/etc, the children would lose the opportunity to socialise with different groups of children.

An example: The local Beavers group my DS goes to has kids from several different schools -- local state school, private school, SEN school, and there's a home ed child. I think the children really benefit from spending time with different groups of people, instead of doing all activities (& learning) with the same people.

In truth, pensioners were mostly overlooked in the 2016 budget speech, which was positioned by the chancellor as for "the next generation"
I expect many of you expected it to be far worse and were prepared to blame the so-called 'boomers'/Tory voters as usual.

Tbh, it doesn't 'seem' that bad, but he already sneaked by some impending bad news for Tax Credits claimants, and some disability benefit claimants. We'll see how things pan out for people from next month. And from April 2017 too...

None of this really will affect me much - the increase in insurance tax will be offset by the increased personal allowance, the new isa may be good for dh (I'm too old!) but can anyone explain how 1.2 billion cuts to disabled benefits turned into a 1 billion increase overnight?

We get to spend a small amount of time with the DC as it is, I am fuming that this is going to happen, yes private education is longer, however that's a parents choice to send them to a school were longer hours forced! I dont want this for my children!

I want my children to be children, and have outside activities, play with their friends when its light, the whole thing is bloody absurd!

Free choice, more bloody like a nanny state!

^This. I don't give a shit if this is what private schools do, or China, or what they did in the 50's. It's not what I want for my kids.

and how about parents who do want longer hours? private education is not a "choice" everyone can make...

not saying one is better or the other, but they can't make everyone happy here. So either way someone will be complaining.

Should n't the sugar tax also apply to manufacturers who add sugar to other products. There is a shocking amount in Dolmio pasta sauces , for example.

I went to school in the 70s when the school day was 9-4. I had an hour and 15 minutes for lunch and could come home then or play out or go to lunchtime clubs. My DC come home an hour earlier on average but have more formal class time. After school clubs are a bit hit and miss and not as well attended as lunchtime clubs were. In winter it is dark by 3pm. If lunch is extended again I am in favour.

They will soon put the blame on immigration.

The longer school day will help prepare children for the realities of the future workplace - working longer hours for their Tory masters.
I reckon this 'longer school day' is education's answer to the '7 day NHS'. No more funding for more teachers - why not just stretch the ones we have now til they break?

I think the ISA sounds pretty dodgy tbh. On the face of it, it will be appealing because the 25% top up has the same impact as being able to contribute to pensions before tax (for basic rate), and the document I saw says that withdrawals after 60 will also be tax free. In theory that would work out better for people who would have a large enough pension income to pay tax on. But...
-I reckon that as it's savings rather than an actual pension it will be expected to be raided in the event you need to claim benefits;
-I suspect it will also not be protected from bankruptcy like pensions are (too open to abuse)
-I bet there will be a campaign to encourage people to use these instead of workplace pensions so employers will get out of contributing by virtue of the employees opting out
-although you lose the top up, you can withdraw funds at any time which isn't really great in a retirement savings vehicle.

You know who it will suit? Relatively wealthy people who are hitting (or expect to hit) their pension lifetime allowance.

mozz you've hit the nail on the head with the Tory masters.

I hate George will a passion. A dimwit with contacts who thinks he got where he is through hard work and intelligent.

The longer school day will be welcomed by families where both parents have to work. A friend's son is about to turn 12 and at that point she says most childcare options seem to shrivel away - I know this can only be a good thing for her. In practice, I'm sure it will be more 'homework clubs' rather than actual classroom time, and again, I'd support that. There are many children who find it hard to get their homework done because of chaotic home lives, or too many after school activities, or a simple lack of discipline on their own part.

I went to boarding school and although I left over 30 years ago now, I remember finishing actual 'school' and then having to go and sit in another classroom to do homework until supper time, which was around 5.00 p.m. Then we all cycled back to our 'house' where we had baths, played etc, till lights out at 7.30/8.00 ish. Saturday mornings were also for homework. They didn't use staff to monitor these homework sessions either - they put a sixth former in charge!! Ha ha!! Not sure that would be allowed now, but while I wouldn't ever send my own child to boarding school (and certainly couldn't afford it even if I wanted to) I do think that this was one of the useful things about it!

Our other local school already does compulsary after school until 4.30pm four days a week. Friday they finish early.

My only concern is dc travel to an activity twice a week and it is already a rush to get there without finishing much later.

The lifetime ISA is the start of the decline of pensions, I think. Gradually these arrangements will take the place of conventional pensions.
Tax relief for those on higher rate is cut, you can get the whole fund tax free at 60 but crucially raid it before for anything other than house purchase and you lose all of the bonus, the growth on that bonus and 5% surcharge. It will be counted when assessing someone for means tested benefits as well, Gideon you evil genius!

I'd agree Lok, he's clearly got it in for the pensions industry (and doesn't really understand it either I don't think!)

The cynical part of me is fully expecting a subtle "tweak" in the way they operate to backload the payment of the government top up too.